Is The Hobbit OK for My Kids?

Bilbo and battling burglars

The Hobbit is Fundamentally Religious. “Tolkien described his Lord of the Rings trilogy as: ‘A fundamentally religious work, unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. The religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism.’ This is no less true of The Hobbit. Although the work is certainly no allegory – Tolkien despised allegories – the characters are deeply symbolic, representing humanity's deep sense of exile as well as our struggle not to center our lives on the pursuit of earthly wealth or power.”